By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
The 10-year-old trotting mare
Silverlode and Steve Wiseman have made quite the pair over the last couple of
months, teaming to win three of their last five starts at the head of the
class.
Included among those
victories is romping score in the Joe Lighthill Trot on February 23, with the
2:57 2/5 clocking for the mile and a half journey resulting in a new North
American record for the elongated distance over a mile track.
Silverlode was bred by Steve
and Vickie Desomer and earned a good chunk of her $242,000 bank account while
racing for them. She now goes about her business for Medinah Racing and Kathie
Plested with Kathie and Wiseman calling the shots since late last year when she
returned from the Midwest.
“This mare and Kathie and I
have a lot of history, because we were working for Steve and Vickie when she
was racing at 2 and 3,” Wiseman noted. “The Desomers always thought she had a
lot of talent, and she’s matured with age and is a real professional.”
Silverlode has completely
dominated her opposition in the last two top dances for the trotting set,
following her score in the Lighthill with a nearly six-length romp in the most
ecent Open Trot two weeks ago.
On both occasions, she has
settled early, made a brush to the lead midway and taken complete control of
things from that point. “That’s really her preferred style and it’s worked out
perfectly in the last two starts.”
Silverlode will be suiting up
once again in Saturday night’s featured fifth race.“The plan is to race her a
few more times and then take her back to Running Aces for the summer,” Wiseman
said.
Jim Grundy Memorial, Open
Pace head card
Jim Grundy Memorial,
Open Pace head card
A very contentious $6,500
Open Pace and the $4,500 Jim Grundy Memorial for pacing fillies and mares get
the marquee treatment Friday evening at Cal Expo.
There will be 12 races under
the Watch and Wager LLC banner with first post at 6:10 p.m., and there will
also be three California Sire Stakes to be decided as non-betting events prior
to the regular program.
A solid case can made for
each of the half-dozen performers in the Open Pace. Blue Star Maverick is a
6-year-old son of As Promised who is owned by Lorne Duffield, takes his lessons
from Kathie Plested and will have Mooney Svendsen giving directions.
He accounted for the Shelly
Goudreau Final on February 23, was runner-up in the Open Pace two weeks ago and
then prevailed by a head in a blanket finish in the most recent top dance for
the division last week.
Eastender and Bettor In The
Bank dead-heated for second in that affair. The former is owned by Maryann
Plano and Nikki Hudson with Luke Plano reining and training, while Bettor In
The Bank carries the banner of Debra McCarthy, hails from the Gordie Graham
shedrow and has James Kennedy back at the controls.
Eastender captured a
conditioned race on February 22, then came right back to post a 23-1 upset in
the Open Pace the following week. He sat a tracking trip for Plano to the
stretch last week, took the lead at the midway point of the drive and just
failed to last that evening.
Bettor In The Bank came
flying to be right in that tight finish last week and has used his strong
closing kick to account for half of his 10 trips to the post this season. He
won back-to-back Open Paces last month and has found himself with too much work
to do in the stretch in his last two appearances.
